The end of March and the month of April were full of travels for performances and teaching. I had a great time with Atlas Percussion at the University of Nebraska Omaha, both performing a recital and teaching a masterclass. My paper presentation at the College Music Society Great Lakes Regional Conference was also well received and I met some great people at the conference. The latest performances and travels with Fifth House Ensemble for Journey LIVE also went well and were great fun. I look forward to performing the show at National Sawdust in July and more dates for next year are close to being confirmed.
I’ve enjoyed several other gigs in April as well, including performing with Beyond This Point in a subway station on the blue line. I was also honored to learn recently that my paper proposal was accepted at the College Music Society’s National Convention this fall. I look forward to speaking about Bjork and the role that Icelandic nature contributes to her music making process, and how she has used her fame and status to be an advocate for environmental issues and provide educational opportunities for those issues.
The school year will soon be done for all the places places I’ve been teaching this year: Phoenix College, Hinsdale Central High School, and Waubonsie Valley High school. I’m looking forward to the lighter load that summer presents, but I am glad that I will continue to be able to teach some lessons and a summer session of my online Rock History course at Phoenix College.